New program aims to ease tough transition for older cancer patients
NCT ID NCT06616298
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests a program called ALIGN, which uses palliative care social workers and patient navigators to support older adults with advanced cancer who are moving from the hospital to a skilled nursing facility. The goal is to see if the program is practical and can help align care with patients' goals while reducing family stress. Researchers will compare ALIGN to usual care and follow participants for six months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- ALIGN (Assessing and Listening to Individual Goals and Needs) - a palliative care social worker and patient navigator intervention
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show a practical way to improve care and support for older cancer patients and their families during a difficult transition to a nursing facility.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early feasibility study, not designed to prove the program works. It may not show clear benefits or be easily scaled to other facilities.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 120 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2025
- Expected to finish
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Aug 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 98 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Patients Inclusion Criteria: 1. Adults between 18-98 years 2. Stage I-IV solid tumors 3. Discharging from an acute care hospital to a SNF in Colorado 4. English speaking 5. Receiving or establishing care at the University of Colorado Cancer Center 6. If a patient lacks capacity, a legal surrogate decision-maker will be approached to provide proxy consent. 7. Must have access to the technology needed to complete consenting visit and subsequent intervention visits. This includes internet access through a computer, tablet, or smartphone OR cellular service with adequate allowance of cellular minutes to allow virtual visits. 8. Must have an email address or caregiver with an email address to facilitate communication during the trial Exclusion Criteria: 1. Discharging with hospice care 2. Age less than 18 3. Lacking capacity without a legal surrogate decision maker or proxy. 4. Limited English proficiency 5. Hospitalized for a planned admission or procedure 6. Have any pschological or physical symptom, medication or other relevant finding prior to randomization, based on the clinical judgement of the PI or relevant clinical study staff that would make a participant unsuitable for the study Caregivers Inclusion Criteria: 1. Patient-selected 2. Age ≥ 18 3. English speaking 4. Able to complete baseline measures. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Discharging with hospice care 2. Age ≤ 18 3. Caregivers with limited English proficiency will be excluded as ALIGN intervention content and documents have only been validated in an English-speaking population. 4. Have any pschological or physical symptom, medication or other relevant finding prior to randomization, based on the clinical judgement of the PI or relevant clinical study staff that would make a participant unsuitable for the study SNF Staff Inclusion Criteria: 1\. Working at a SNF that cared for a patient who received the ALIGN intervention Exclusion Criteria: 1\. Not employed by a community SNF where patients were discharged to during the pilot trial PCSW Inclusion Criteria: 1\. PCSWs who conducted the ALIGN intervention and consent to an interview
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
RECRUITINGAurora, Colorado, 80045, United States
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